First Look at Amonkhet Pre-Release

The Latest Magic Expansion is Looking Spicy!

By
Freddy Tan

Throughout the year, it’s a frequent occurrence for Magic: The Gathering (MTG) players to traverse into another new planes, discovering brand new (and sometimes revisiting) mystical-fantasy world. And, it’s now time again, to jump into – Amonkhet, a world inspired by Ancient Egypt mixed with imagery referencing the legendary villain - Nicol Bolas in the MTG universe. Featuring some of the strongest creatures and planeswalkers, Amonkhet is a great mix of rich lore and exciting gameplay, imagining majestic pyramids in the background of an epic battle between zombies and sphinx; only the worthy can remain standing, are you ready for the release?

Egyptian-themed Amonkhet is packed with zombies, mummies and pyramids.

With the official release date scheduled on 28 April, the Amonkhet pre-release is almost upon us, and we at IGN South East Asia are grateful for the opportunity to attend the Amonkhet media preview. We got the chance to witness all the latest products in their shiny Egyptian packaging and also tried our hands on Amonkhet pre-release pack.

So, what exactly is a pre-release? And where would it be?

To an esteemed planeswalker, nothing is more exciting than a pre-release. As a Magic player myself, attending a pre-release event at a local store always feels like waking up on Christmas morning waiting to unbox bountiful gifts. And I am sure many Magic players share my sentiments.

Nothing smells better than the smell of new cards.

Why? Well, first, pre-release brings people together, you get to meet players of new and old, pick up some fresh new cards and turn on your strategic mind to put together the best sealed deck (40-cards deck) you can just as everybody else. When the set is brand new, the equilibrium is fairly equal as everybody plays with the new additions for the very first time, and the event is usually casual enough for you to just relax and have fun testing out synergies.

If you don't already have a local game store you frequent, be sure to check out the store locator to find one near you!

A pre-release typically last for 4-5 hours, so be sure to free up yourself for the entire event.

The pre-release pack contains 6 booster packs and a promo card which you could use to construct your 40-card deck, a dice, pre-release box as well as a trial card. The citizens of Amonkhet compete in 5 trials to prove their worth, and we learn more about from Tse of Magic: The Gathering, “each store will have a different trial set for the players. The store will pick a trial and set an objective for the player. Example the Trial of Zeal (the red one) the store might set a condition such as ‘attack with 3 or more creatures’.”

“If a player complete the trials, the store might reward you for it. Which differs from each store”, Tse explained.

We also asked Tse a few questions about his thoughts on Amonkhet.

Q: If you have to guess, do you think this set will appeal more to relatively new and existing players or to the veterans?

Tse: The Egyptian theme is a very strong culture in the real world, and everyone knows more or less on how an Egyptian theme should be. It is universal and will draw in new and old players alike.

Q: Which new mechanic/keyword from the set is your favorite and why?

Tse: Exert. It allows you one bonus (effect) when you attack a player. It could be a game changer in combat.

Glorybringer - one of the sought after creatures with the exert mechanism.

Q: The block is revolving around the emergence of the long awaited Nicol-Bolas, but he will not be making an appearance in this set, how do you think this may affect the players?

Tse: This is the homeland of Nicol-Bolas, we want to create the curiosity for the players. We want to build up his presence and set expectation. And if the players follow the story, he will eventually be revealed.

Overall, I am really excited for Amonkhet, as the new mechanics (i.e., Embalm, Aftermath, Exert) as well as the old (i.e., cycling, -1/-1 counters) synergizes well with the previous set and will definitely expand both the competitive and casual meta. Aside from Standard, I am positive that most Modern, EDH, Legacy and even Vintage players may be able to slot some hot Amonkhet cards into their decks.

Additionally, what are the Amonkhet cards you most excited to experiment? What awesome combos are brewing for Standard and Modern? What decks will be the new Tier-1? Which color combination is best for sealed and draft? Enlighten me by leaving a comment!

Freddy is the Editor for IGN SEA. He has been a Magic enthusiast since 1998, and he can't wait to test out the new meta.